Bathroom Sink Stopper and Pop-Up
Problems

The lowly pop-up is ingenious but also devious. Since it's workings are "out-of-sight", it's usually out of mind, too... except when
the danged thing doesn't work correctly!

Here are some typical problems and their solutions. Aside
from breakage, most pop-up problems can be fixed with a little love, a little
wrench and a little lubrication!

If you desire, you can click HERE
to open a graphic of a typical pop-up assembly in a separate browser
window, with all the parts labeled for
identification. The same graphic is located at the bottom of this page.

The stopper on my bathroom faucet doesn't stay closed.
When I pull the handle up, it just falls back down.
How can I fix it?

The culprit is the
pivot nut that holds the horizontal (pivot) arm onto the popup assembly.
For the stopper to stay down, or hold any position for that matter, there must
be pressure against the ball on the horizontal rod. Tightening the pivot
nut increases the pressure, allowing the stopper to maintain either the open or
closed position. Be sure not to overtighten it or it won't work at all...
or you might even break it!

Whenever I perform maintenance on a popup assembly, I remove the nut and
slather a little plumber's grease (Vaseline will do in a pinch) on the ball, the
nut, the seat and the nut's threads. This provides for silky-smooth
movement of the popup mechanism and easier disassembly later if necessary.

Be careful not to lose any parts (washers or seats) when loosening the nut,
or you might have trouble finding replacements... short of replacing the entire
popup assembly!

NOTE: An overly loose pivot nut may also be the source of mysterious
leaks. Though it might not leak under normal water flow, it could leak
like a sieve when a sink-full of water is released!

I have purchased a new faucet for my bathroom sink.
The installation seems pretty straightforward, but I noticed that it came with a
replacement for the drain and stopper. The old drain and stopper still look
okay. Do I absolutely have to replace it?

No, you probably don't need to replace the existing popup assembly if it
looks good and you can adapt it to function with the new lift rod (the rod that
you pull upwards to open or close the stopper).

Many people are surprised when they open the box and find the replacement
popup assembly. (Sometimes they break into a cold sweat, too!) The only time you
really have to replace it is when the new popup lift rod won't mesh with
the old one.

On the brighter side, most popup assemblies use a similar linkage, though,
even one's twenty years old. I have run into minor compatibility issues between
the diameter of the horizontal rod (the rod that pivots to lift the stopper) and
the holes in the popup strap (the connector between the lift rod and the
horizontal rod). However, it's easy enough to drill out the correct hole a tad
to make it work.

I want to clean out my sink drain, but the stopper is
locked in place. How can I remove it?

Most stoppers can be used in either the locked position (as yours is) or in
the loose or floating position. A typical stopper has a hole near the
bottom, into which the horizontal arm is engaged. The advantage is that
the stopper is pulled tightly into the drain when closed. The disadvantage
is that cleaning the stopper and the drain is a little more difficult.

To remove the stopper, you must first go under the sink and completely loosen
the pivot nut (see previous question). Pull out the horizontal pivot arm
and the stopper will be free.

CAREFUL! Do not run water through the
drain without replacing the horizontal arm and nut or covering the hole
with a sponge. If you do, water will pour out of the open hole!

If you like to have a squeaky-clean stopper, make your job easier and don't
engage it into the horizontal arm. Instead, just drop it into the drain
atop the arm. Most stoppers will work just fine this way, though a few
require engagement... you won't know till you try!!